Hotel on the Leningradskoe highway
The design site is located in the north-west of Moscow along the Leningradskoe highway, not far from the Khimki reservoir. On all sides it is surrounded by park greenery that separates the site, on the one hand, from the noisy Leningradka, on the other, from dense residential buildings. At the moment, there is a small two-storey hotel on the territory, and directly on the site of the planned construction there are ruined buildings of the former dispensary, determined for demolition. The owner of the existing hotel decided to expand the complex and turned to Asadov's architectural bureau. The architects proposed to place a volume on the elongated section, consisting of two buildings, placed on a common stylobate. One block, designed in the form of a plate, is noticeably displaced deeper into the area. It houses 159 standard hotel rooms. The second - in the form of a 13-storey tower - occupies a corner position and accommodates another 50 two-room suites for longer stays. All public functions - such as a bar, restaurant, conference room, spa and fitness center - are located in the stylobate. An open terrace is provided on its exploited roof, and a parking lot in the underground part.
All three volumes are united by a common facade solution: structural stained-glass glazing and diamond-shaped perforated aluminum panels. White panels, distributed on the walls with different densities, form a material shell that resembles either scales or bark. On the side of the highway, there is more glazing, due to which the hotel buildings almost dissolve into greenery. But on the other facade and ends, panels are more actively used. Andrei Asadov, who presented the project to the council, said that, based on the location, the designers tried to give the building the character of park architecture, to make it solid, light and unobtrusive.
According to members of the council, the authors succeeded in doing this, but the question of the appropriateness of this particular decision remained open. Andrei Gnezdilov noted that in such a significant place in Moscow, more spectacular and noticeable architecture suggests itself. Here, judging by the planting of the building away from the red line and its discreet facades, it may seem that this is some kind of secret object trying to hide among the trees. “The house is not even modest, but rather secretive. And what caused the isolated nature of architecture, I do not understand,”concluded Gnezdilov. Andrei Asadov explained this decision by the fact that a plot free of trees was chosen for building. In addition, the authors proceeded from the need to create noise protection, which was provided by the location of the building at a distance from the highway behind a wide strip of greenery.
Evgeny Ass did not find the authors' arguments convincing. He agreed with Gnezdilov that the building has a certain ambiguity and does not belong to either the city or the park. “If this is a city object, then why is it so hidden? - Ass asks the question. “If this is a park architecture, then the volume had to be moved even further from the road, orienting it towards the reservoir.”
Vladimir Plotkin objected to his colleagues, noting that, in general, the decision was not in doubt. At the same time, he advised the authors, after analyzing the environment, to think again about the composition. First, it would be possible to mirror the building by moving the tower to the left side. Then the complex would have received a more distinct silhouette when driving along the highway from the Sheremetyevo airport. Secondly, it would be worthwhile to swap the facades, making the street one more deaf, and the one facing the reservoir - glass. So hotel guests would get panoramic views from the windows.
Alexander Kudryavtsev also liked the project. He drew the attention of those present to the fact that the concept preserves and continues the traditions of building the Leningradskoye Highway. The island planting of buildings hidden behind trees is, according to Kudryavtsev, the right technique. His only recommendation to the designers is to slightly shift the main entrance in order to organize a through passage to the park through the restaurant area.
The main remark made by Sergey Kuznetsov to the designers concerned the infrastructure and landscaping. He agreed with his colleagues that it would be right to build a building with a more articulated architecture on the Leningradskoye Highway. “The Archcouncil has always shown increased attention to this part of the city,” Kuznetsov commented. - This place attracts views from all sides, serves as a kind of gate at the entrance to the capital. It is very important that guests of the city immediately get the impression of Moscow as a large and modern metropolis. The project turned out to be too modest, indifferent”. Separately, Kuznetsov recommended working out the area around the complex. Now the project does not provide for the possibility of using the terrace, developing the restaurant to the street, pedestrian connections are not resolved. All this requires further work, the results of which will be considered in the working order.
Hotel complex with apartments on Ostozhenka
The council looked at the project of reconstruction of house No. 6 on Ostozhenka street for the second time. At the first consideration, a unanimous decision was made on the need for a serious revision of the presented concept, after which the designer was replaced. The work on the errors was entrusted to the Buromoscow architectural studio. In their project, the architects tried to take into account the comments of the council members expressed at the previous meeting. They mainly concerned the idea of turning the courtyard facade into a front one, imitating historical architecture and the desire to organize a closed courtyard inaccessible to the townspeople. In addition, the council's proposals for reconstruction with a tunnel under the Red Chambers, an architectural monument of the 17th century, seemed completely unacceptable.
The house, which is supposed to be reconstructed, built on and turned into a modern hotel complex with apartments, is located at the intersection of Ostozhenka and Prechistenka. It is not a monument, but is considered by the authors of the project as a memorial value. Olga Aleksakova and Yulia Burdova recreate its historical facade from the side of Ostozhenka, and solve the superstructure in a more modern style. The latter is deliberately shifted inland relative to the historical boundary of the house. From the side of the courtyard, the new shell, on the contrary, hangs over the frame of the building. Having studied the architectural features of the development of Ostozhenka, the authors suggested using characteristic details and direct quotes for decoration. It turned out to be something like an architectural collage.
The complex also includes a small two-story building along Ostozhenka Street, presumably built in the 18th century. This main manor house has not yet been examined and does not have a conservation status, therefore, the authors did not present a specific proposal for it - they only casually mentioned the emergency state and the possibility of reconstruction. As for the already mentioned Red Chambers, fixing the border of the site from the side of the square in front of the Kropotkinskaya metro station, they, despite the fact that they are not part of the complex, are proposed to be restored and given for museum use. The annex, which appeared in the 1970s between the chambers and the retaining wall from the courtyard side, is planned to be remodeled, but retained to accommodate all technical equipment. Only in this way, according to the designers, will it be possible to ensure the operation of the now unused historical building. The walls of the extension will become completely glass, which will visually separate the chambers from the retaining wall.
Particular attention is paid to the common courtyard. Under it, without affecting the territory of the chambers, a three-level underground parking is arranged. Unlike the previous version, in the current proposal the courtyard is designed as a public green space, which also provides transit from the Kropotkinskaya metro station. Only a small area on a hill, it is also a food court, has a more intimate, semi-private character. However, you can freely climb there by stairs. Recreational and public areas also appear near the Red Chambers and from the side of the square with the Engels monument.
The presented decision received a controversial assessment of the board members. Andrey Gnezdilov, who is very familiar with the peculiarities of the Ostozhenka district, criticized the project. He strongly disliked the decision to turn the facade of the building into a collage. According to Gnezdilov, it looks like a showcase in a showroom. “If one direction were chosen, the house would look much more advantageous,” the architect is sure. “And so it seems that the authors could not decide on their own and offered a choice of several finishing options.” He also did not like the choice of material: for Ostozhenka, the use of plaster is typical, the stone looks too pretentious. Andrey Gnezdilov was outraged by the decision to arrange windows on the facade, which looks at the neighboring area - the dental clinic. According to him, this wall has always been a firewall and should remain so. Even more he disliked the decision to demolish and recreate house No. 4. On this issue, Gnezdilov was supported by Rustam Rakhmatullin, a representative of the Arkhnadzor movement, who was present at the meeting. He recalled that according to the regulations, all facades of the building must be preserved, so there can be no talk of any demolition. In addition, he, as at the first meeting, announced the need for a field survey in order to clarify the status and historical value of the object.
Alexander Kudryavtsev, as in the case with the previously presented concept, stated that it was inadmissible to erect a building of this scale in this place, despite the GPZU. In his opinion, this destroys the structure of the street. Vladimir Plotkin, on the contrary, decided to support the project, noting the tremendous progress in work on it. The volume and scale of the building seemed appropriate to him, because the left side of Ostozhenka was already built up with eight-story buildings. He also liked the concept of integrating space into the city. As for the facade solutions, Plotkin called them too “tasteful”. The idea was picked up by Evgeny Ass. Agreeing that the courtyard would become a new public space in Moscow, he drew attention to the danger of "falling into imitation" when decorating facades. The attempt to present the entire range of Ostozhen features leads the authors away from a single witty solution, Ass is sure.
The project was actively supported by Sergey Kuznetsov, who noted that the authors are certainly moving in the right direction. And the comments pointed out by other members of the board can be easily eliminated and agreed in the working order.
